7 of America's most stylish motels
Rev up the Mustang and get Johnny Cash on the radio as we round-up the best roadside stays across the USA.
The classic motel is being reimagined by a new wave of style conscious owners – here we select a few perfect pit stops.
1. The Drifter, New Orleans, Louisiana
What’s the buzz? Just a stone’s throw from New Orleans’ soulful French Quarter, this mid-century motor lodge has brought a new breed of industrial cool to the Big Easy. Inspired by the Beat Generation, it combines modernism with Mexican-inspired touches such as geometric tiles sourced from Oaxaca.
The Drifter/Booking.com
A jungle of house plants in the communal areas are a contrast to the troweled concrete of its 20 pared-back bedrooms. Follow the call of the enormous disco ball in the pool area, which hosts a roster of music events. Because it just wouldn’t be Nola without a sazerac cocktail (or three) and the chance to dance until sunrise...
Why it’s the perfect pit stop: Discover the Old South with a drive from New Orleans to Austin, Texas. The route winds between plantations, past Houston and on to Lake Charles, where you can chow traditional crayfish boil and spot ‘gators’ in the swamps.
The details: From £86 ($103) per room, per night.
READ MORE: The most beautiful weekend road trip in every state
2. The Thunderbird Inn, Savannah, Georgia
What’s the buzz? Although it was refurbished during 2018, this roadside motel in Downtown Savannah has left its heart in the year it was built, 1964. Push open any of its 42 bedroom doors and you’ll step straight into the Swinging Sixties, when rotary phones were king and furniture was as bright as acid drops. However, its attitude to sustainability is much more modern producing much of its energy from solar panels… after all, those neon signs aren’t going to power themselves.
Thunderbird Inn/Booking.com
Why it’s the perfect pit stop: Savannah is the ideal starting point for a scenic road trip along Georgia’s coastline on Highway 17. Look out for citrine marshes, islands cropped by wild horses and beach shacks serving up platters of barbecued shrimp.
The details: From £74($90)per room, per night.
3. Pioneertown Motel, California
What’s the buzz? Follow in the footsteps of cowboys, outlaws and gold diggers to Pioneertown, where the locals’ humour is as dry as the dust clouds that blow down Mane Street. Built as a movie set in 1946 by a group of Hollywood investors, from the outside the motel looks every inch the rustic desert waypost. However, owners Matt and Mike French have created a haven and nearly every aspect of the 19 bedrooms has been made by local craftspeople, from the custom-made wooden furniture to pottery cactus planters.
Pioneertown Motel/Booking.com
An open fronted communal area swathed in cowhide rugs is the ideal place to hangout while spotting shooting stars in the desert sky.
Why it’s the perfect pit stop: Get a sense of California’s extreme and varied landscapes with a drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, via Palm Springs, Joshua Tree National Park and Pioneertown.
The details: From £116 ($140) per room, per night.
READ MORE: Check out the American ghost towns you can actually visit
4. Amigo Motor Lodge, Salida, Colorado
What’s the buzz? On their first date, Philip Sterling and Kaitlyn Canfield realised they shared the dream of renovating a 1950s motor lodge. Two years later in 2016 this dream became a reality. One of the most understated hideaways on our list, this stylish stay nestles in the arty town of Salida, in the Rocky Mountains. A cream, navy blue and leaf green colour palette provides a neutral backdrop for Palermo chairs, hand-woven textiles and cow skulls. It isn’t all stripped back modernism however, as proved by a teepee and handful of slipstream camper vans you can also stay in.
Why it’s the perfect pit stop: A circular road trip from Denver via Salida, Buena Vista, Durango and Aspen will reveal the best of Colorado. Bathe in hot springs, fill your lungs with clean mountain air and visit haunting high ghost towns.
The details: From £98 ($120) per room, per night.
5. Austin Motel, Austin, Texas
What’s the buzz? The 41 bedrooms of this motel in the South Congress district of Texas's state capital are inspired by the three most decadent periods in the motel’s history: the 1930s, 1960s and 1980s. Think feature walls and leather headboards in eye-popping colours, Tivoli alarm clocks and lino floors. Added last year is Joan’s Fine Foods, an airy space specialising in Mexican food and cocktails.
Austin Motel/Booking.com
Why it’s the perfect pit stop: A road trip from Austin to El Paso is a must for lovers of the incongruous. Explore Texas’s wine country, discover Big Bend National Park and be amazed by the isolated town of Marfa and its 16 art galleries, one for every 124 residents.
The details: From £120 ($145) per room, per night.
6. The Graham & Co, Phoenicia, New York State
What’s the buzz? When you wake up in this 1940s motor lodge the only sound will be the splash of the pool or possibly the tinkle of a bicycle as early morning explorers set off into the Catskill Mountains (only after bolstering themselves with fluffy pancakes at Sweet Sue’s diner a few minutes’ walk away).
Bedrooms are stripped back, many with little more than a bed, statement light fittings and a carved wooden bench. Instead of frills the motel focuses on amenities such as free bicycles, an outdoor film club and a fire pit so you can relax beneath the stars.
Why it’s the perfect pit stop: A short road trip through the Catskill Mountains from New York to Walton via Phoenicia and Roxbury, shows how much more there is to see in this East Coast state beyond the big cities: you’ll find everything here from diners to thrift shops.
The details: From £80 ($99) per bunkhouse room, per night.
READ MORE: The most underrated city in every state
7. Phoenix Hotel, San Francisco, California
What’s the buzz? This hideaway in the gritty Tenderloin district has recently emerged as one of the most stylish places to stay in San Francisco. However, its legendary status started years before, when Neil Young lived here with his pet bush babies while recording the seminal album Deja Vu. When a note written on Phoenix stationary was found on Kurt Cobain’s body, its position as a rock ‘n’ roll legend was sealed.
Phoenix Hotel/Booking.com
Today, it’s a retro dream with 44 rooms built around a palm-shaded courtyard with a heated pool, the scene of infamous parties in summer. Expect blue accent walls, paintings by local artists and mid-century furniture.
Why it’s the perfect pit stop: From San Francisco you can drive to several Californian icons including Lake Tahoe and Napa Valley within just a few hours, while the drive to Big Sur along Highway One has some of the most epic coastal views in the country.
The details: From £173 ($209) per room, per night.
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